Ford 2000 Taurus FFV

Car surges when stopped yet still in drive. Gets worse if I wait too long to drive again. At its worse I feel a thump under my feet thru the floorboard. When I begin driving again it feels like something lets go and then its fine while driving. The surges become strong enough to overcome Ford's piss poor brakes. I read a little on the internet something to do with throttle body flaw in Fords. How expensive a repair job since I am not DIY? The rpm needle bounces bounces bounces but stays under 1.

Before digging in to the throttle body too far, I'd suggest you check carefully for vacuum leaks or a misfire. Has your Check Engine Light come on?

-Rod

http://www.aa1car.com/library/vacleak.htm

Thanks, I googled vacuum leaks the above website did a good job of explaining. So basically it could be a million different causes from minor hose replacement to major carbuerater replacement. A little knowledge is dangerous LOL

I printed out the info and guess I will basically hand them the printout from the website above and say "Find mine." I will though do as thorough a check as I can visually of all the hoses.

Check Engine Light? Mine is always on for over 5yrs ever since an extremely humid day/airconditioning issue. One size doesn't fit all and one light doesnt fit all either.

Learned mechanics deserve a good paycheck but I wish it wasn't at the expense of my paycheck :-)

You don't have to worry about major carburetor issues, your car doesn't have one. It's fuel injected. There are other things besides vacuum leaks that can cause a car to surge at idle, that just is one of the first things to check for if you do not have access to a scan tool to point you in a better direction. If the shop needs a printout to explain how to check for vacuum leaks, you'd better find a new shop. ;)

Since your check engine light has been on for over 5 years, have you ever bothered to check the code to see what it's trying to tell you? Also, the light will not necessarily do anything different as you rack up additional diagnostic codes. Just because you may know what the code was last month does not mean there are not new codes now that the symptoms have changed. It would be worth getting the codes read. Many of the chain auto parts stores offer that service at no charge, but you'll want to be sure to get the exact code numbers (in the form of P0123). If you cannot find a shop to pull the codes and are near Cedar Rapids, let me know and I'll pull the codes for you at no charge.

-Rod

Thanks, what a gent you are. I have been so impressed with how you advise us all.

Sounds very simular to an exployer prob i had...fix was resetting the transmission electronics by taking battery post loose and the replacing it. Can't hurt to try that.

Anyone who still has a drivable vehicle after ignoring the check engine light for 5 years shouldn't be knocking it.